Wind Pressure Distribution on a Porous Double Skin Façade System

Permeable double skin facades (permeable DSF) are part of modern architectural concepts. An accurate assessment of the wind loads and the porosity effects on this kind of facades is crucial for a correct design and performance evaluation. Measuring and predicting DSF airflow is not a straightforward task due to the interaction between the wind turbulence and the outer porous skin. Moreover, Eurocode and many other National Codes do not supply any prescription about such issue. In this paper the comprehensive experimental study of wind loads acting on the porous double skin facade of the New Bocconi Campus, currently under construction in Milan, is reported. Cladding loads assessment has been carried out performing wind tunnel tests on properly scaled rigid models able to reproduce the aerodynamic behaviour of the porous medium. Peak pressures for the inner facade have been estimated and compared to the ones expected forcing a standard glazed facade.